Mechanical properties of high-strength concrete incorporating copper slag as coarse aggregate

Copper slag is a by-product obtained during the matte smelting and refining of copper. Current options of management of this slag are recycling, recovering of metal, production of value added products and disposal in slag dumps or stockpiles. This paper presents the results of a study undertaken to investigate the feasibility of using copper slag as coarse aggregates in high-strength concrete. The effects of replacing limestone coarse aggregate by copper slag coarse aggregate on the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and rebound hammer values of high-strength concretes are evaluated in this work. Concrete mixtures containing different levels of silica fume were prepared with water to cementitious materials ratios of 0.40, 0.35, and 0.30. The percentages of the cement replacements by silica fume were 0%, 6%, and 10%. The use of copper slag aggregate compared to limestone aggregate resulted in a 28-day compressive strength increase of about 10–15%, and a splitting tensile strength increase of 10–18%. It can be concluded from the results of this study that using copper slag as coarse aggregate in high-strength concrete is technically possible and useful.